TNA Meeting Breaks up without Agreement

Justice Wigneswaran who had earlier professed not to be interested in the position had suddenly issued statements that he would consent if all five constituents agreed to his being the candidate.

(July 12, 2013, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The TNA’s common action committee met today at the TNA Head Office in Colombo and adjourned without agreement on who their Chief Minister candidate should be. They will meet again tomorrow, July 12, to continue the discussions.

The Federal Party was represented by President R. Sambanthan, Secretary Mavai Senathirajah, M.A. Sumanthiran and Selvarajah. Mr. Sangiah and Mr. Krishnapillai represented the TULF. The EPRLF was represented by Suresh Premachandran and Sarveswaran, while the TELO by Selvan Adaikalanathan, Srikantha, Henry Mahenthiran and Karunakaran. T. Siddharthan, K. Sivanesan, and Ragavan were there for the PLOTE.

While other matters went smoothly, when it came to nominating the candidate for the Northern Province Chief Minister, Mr. Sambanthan wanted Justice C.V. Wigneswaran while all the others wanted Senathirajah who had already been advanced by the Jaffna Branch of the Federal Party. Mr. Sambathan was adamant as were the others. Hence the inconclusive discussion.

Justice Wigneswaran who had earlier professed not to be interested in the position had suddenly issued statements that he would consent if all five constituents agreed to his being the candidate. He was faulted for this saying that Senathirajah came forward to be a candidate only because Justice Wigneswaran had professed disinterest. And now suddenly for Justice Wigneswaran to want the position, it was felt, is unfair.

Some of the objections to Justice Wigneswaran came from both his children having married Sinhalese. Rather unfair, but the point made was that TNA MP Piyasena of mixed parentage from Amparai crossed over to the government because of divided loyalties, and for the same reasons Wigneswaran cannot be trusted.

The Eastern Province’s P. Ariyanenthiran, Batticaloa District MP, had issued a statement ahead of the meeting raising the above objections. His punch line was that Wigneswaran knows only the Nallur Kanthan Temple in the North whereas Senathirajah knows every nook and corner in both the North and the East and it is only he who can unite Tamils everywhere.

This debate settles the matter. Even if Justice Wigneswaran is the candidate because of Mr. Sambanthan’s insistence, it would not be by unanimous agreement. An experienced judge must learn not to utter words he may have to swallow. Justice Wigneswaran seems not to have been serious when he denied his interest in being Chief Minister and now again seems not to be serious about being candidate only by unanimous agreement.

Indeed, when the TNA candidate is certain of being overwhelmingly elected, who can resist?

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